A Florist’s Brooklyn Home

today’s sneak peeks are some of my favorite from the past few months. this beautiful brooklyn railroad belongs to floral designer, nicolette owen of nicolette camille (camille is her middle name). i first saw nicolette’s work at joy’s site and have been following her online ever since. then last week sarah visited nicolette’s home and suggested i email her for a peek (click here to read sarah’s floral column on d*s). and boy am i glad did. i love the soft color palettes in nicolette’s home and all of the plants- it’s the sort of look i’d love to have, but could never master with my black thumb. nicolette was also kind enough to share some shots of her kitchen, which transforms into her flower studio when she needs to work. it’s always so great to see how people make their home and business life work at home. thanks so much to nicolette for sharing her home- you can see more of her beautiful floral work right here. nicolette’s home continues well after the jump so be sure to click “read more” at the bottom of the post to see the rest of her home. you can also click here for larger, and additional, shots on flickr (and “before” shots of the apartment!). [photographs by lesley unruh]

[image above: I live in a 100+ year old building on the williamsburg/bushwick border in Brooklyn. It’s a rail road style apartment with tons of beautiful old details- tin ceilings, molding and rich honey toned wood floors. I’ve accumulated all of my furniture and other decorative elements mostly from flea markets, stoop sales, thrift stores, family & friend hand-me-downs. I’ve painted all of my bedrooms some shade of blue for as long as I can remember. Each time I go into a paint store I force myself to look at colors other than blue and without fail I leave with 2 handfuls of paint chips in every shade of blue from midnight to bunny gray. This time around I fell for Blue Hydrangea from Benjamin Moore. Vanity above: I found a wonderful bedroom set from an estate sale on craigslist. Each area of apartment is a constant work in progress. I constantly have new ideas and compositions begin to grow out of something as simple as a twig taped to the wall. I’m fascinated by the natural world and have all kinds of pods, seeds, rocks, crystals, shells all over my house. ]

[image above: This lovely desk was a great yard sale find- i love the turquoise painted legs. The grape ivy and the lamp belonged to my grandmother. I collect old mirrors and am always moving them around the apartment to play with their light bouncing effects. ]

[image above: The apartment had this great old sink with these sweet little nooks built in above- perfect for all of my little bottles, plants and flowers! Hanging above is an antique Toran from India that I’ve had since high school.]

[image above: When I first saw this apartment each wall in the kitchen was painted a different color (bright orange, army green and a yellowish green and the molding was dark brown- actually the entire apartment was a mix of this palette). It was quite intense to be in the room and I immediately set out to lighten it up. After lots of primer (LOTS) and the help of many friends the kitchen was transformed! I decided on a soft blue (ok! it’s true! I adore blue!). I think the color is called cumulus cotton. The pale blue walls turned the kitchen into such a serene and peaceful space. This particular shade of blue I spend so much time in this end of the apartment working (it doubles as my flower studio), cooking and having friends over. ]

CLICK HERE to see 5 more photos of nicolette’s beautiful home after the jump…

[image above: kitchen dining table]

[image above: Cloud Wall, My cloud photos have graced a wall in every apartment I’ve ever lived in. This is just a small portion of my photographs, and it’s still growing! Perhaps one day I’ll have an entire room full of clouds? ]

[image above: left- book stack. right- sink nook]

[image above: (Living Room) Since my apartment is a railroad style the living room is open to the kitchen and does not have its own window. I wanted to embrace the rooms cozy feeling so I opted for yet another shade of blue. This time a rich teal blue. Its a dark color but it really adds to the coziness of the space. Initially I had ” what was I thinking!?” moment, but I have come to really love this shade. Naples Blue from Benjamin Moore. My bathroom is too tiny to get a good photo but just wanted to let you know I painted it a blue-gray. I managed to paint every room a shade of blue and I absolutely love it!]

This makes me so… nostalgic! it reminds me of an old french house in the country side (where i grew up). It’s amazing, i know Bushwick and it is nothing like it! that is what a genius artist/designer can do with its talent, make you travel without moving. I adore your Sneak Peaks (i am addicted to them in fact) but this one is really at the top of my list. I SO want my (next) apartment to look like this one. Bravo!

All I can say is WOW. This house is sooo amazing! It’s full of inspiration for me…such beauty in all the quiet arrangements of little things! I guess its not surprising, since your floral arrangements are so thoughtful and gorgeous that your own space would be, too! ps– I love all your mirrors!

This apartment is nearly identical to mine, except my landlord bulldozed over the lovely wood floors right before I moved in. I am so inspired to nick some ideas from you- namely swagging something over my sink nook! So, so, so gorgeous!

Oh my goodness–one of my favorite sneak peaks ever! I simply love all the natural elements, the slightly chaotic look of all the little collected items, the blues that bring it all together… amazing! I’d love to see more sneak peaks like this–spaces that look lived-in and liveable, not perfectly sparse and staged. Thanks for sharing!

Wow — I love this one too! So gorgeous. I’m going to steal the cloud picture idea, and I would love to know where she got that bedspread. And thanks for sharing all the paint names. Blue is in my future!

Thank you so much for all of the lovely comments! I should have you all over for dinner!
The blanket at the foot of my bed (is that what you’re wondering about?) is a Berber wedding blanket. I picked it up at the Domino Bazaar last year. You can find them at most Moroccan import boutiques & John Derian (i think).
all my best- nicolette

Beautiful home! I love how she used natural items like rocks, seeds and pods and vintage furnature. Thats my favorite way to decorate. I LOVE the antique mirrors everywhere. As I was looking through the photos I was wondering how she was able to have so many fresh flowers everywhere… then I saw the last two pics. That explains it! :)

Wow! Sooo pretty!
I will be moving into a new space this upcoming May and have begun to think of the colours I want in various rooms… I keep coming back to blue as the answer. I wasn’t sure if blue would work in abundance but your place has convinced me otherwise.

I am a freelance florist from London England and have just stumbled upon her work, and its the first florist that has really blown me away……a beautiful home too really intricate…. i’m guessing she is one of those terribly annoying women, good at everything!

if i lived in this home i would probably just being going “ahhhhh” (in a good way) every time i walked into a room. it is absolutely beautiful! i love all the flowers and the cloud wall is fabulous! really really beautiful.

Magical space… and what a surprise to find out that it functions as a floral studio as well! I’m curious (Nicolette, Grace, readers…) to hear how Nicolette especially, and others who’s at-home work requires more than a computer, how the balance is pulled off. Especially with flowers; I’m assuming there is no refrigeration? How is the challenge of keeping blooms fresh mitigated in a NY apartment in say, July?
Amazing, and thanks for sharing!

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